Concrete retaining walls used in highway construction are typically poured in place. This process usually consists of excavating the soil and earth away from the wall area. Excavating the soil to a point below the bottom level of the wall serves as a location for a footing. A form for the footing is prepared, reinforced with steel and concrete, and then the footing is poured on site. After the footing cures, the remaining walls are then formed on the footing, reinforced with steel and concrete poured on site. If required, a traffic barrier may be placed on top of the wall using similar construction techniques as outlined above. Once the completed wall has cured, the soil is then replaced.
Creating retaining walls by building and pouring the walls on site is costly, time consuming and labor intensive. Typically extra excavation or other earth supporting means are necessary and are unacceptably costly. Also important are the time and space constraints imposed on such construction projects, particularly in urban environments, where time is of the essence to minimize traffic disruptions and where frequently there is insufficient room to construct walls by forming and pouring the walls in place.
Therefore, a need exists for a retaining wall system and method that can provide the desired support and flexibility in design necessary to make it adaptable to all construction situations as well as being more cost, time and labor efficient. The pre-cast wall systems described herein meet these needs and others.